


Meet The Parents

by WolfAndHound_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drama, Family, Marauders' Era, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2004-08-18
Packaged: 2018-05-18 19:45:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5940925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfAndHound_Archivist/pseuds/WolfAndHound_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sirius decides that the time is right to meet Remus' parents. The visit does not go as well as he'd hoped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet The Parents

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Lassenia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Wolf and Hound](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wolf_and_Hound), which was created to make stories posted to the Sirius_Black_and_Remus_Lupin Yahoo! mailing list easier to find. However, even though I still love the fandom, I am no longer active in it and do not have the time to maintain it. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2015. I posted an announcement with Open Doors, but we may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Wolf and Hound collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wolfandhound/profile).

"Moony?"

"Hmmmm?" The honeyed voice was slurred by drowsiness, as the young man turned to look at his raven-haired lover who was sitting behind him in the sunshine, languidly carding through his tawny hair with long elegant fingers. Having Sirius play with his hair could always relax Remus to the point of nearly falling asleep, especially ensconced as they were in their favourite cove on this warm late-spring morning.

"I've been thinking...," Sirius began.

"Uhhh-oh! That's never a good sign, coming from Sirius Black!" Remus chuckled at the indignant look on his boyfriend's handsome face.

"No, I'm serious," he tried again.

"Of course you are. And I'm Remus. Now that we have **that** settled.....ouch!" Remus laughed and ducked away from the groping fingers as Sirius tried to pin him down for a good tickling.

The two boys had come down to their favourite hideaway to enjoy the beautiful and unseasonably warm morning. Peter was off seeing his new Hufflepuff girlfriend, and James and Lily were embroiled in their seemingly never-ending wedding plans. Neither Remus nor Sirius had any desire to be pulled into the on-going battle of white roses versus pink tulips. Only a few days ago, the disagreement had been about parchment invitations or linen ones. Sirius had made some comment about 'why didn't they simply forget the whole ruddy pageant altogether, and just shack up' which earned a perfectly vicious glare from Lily's emerald eyes.

Leaving poor Prongs to his fate, they scurried off with a picnic lunch in the compartment of Sirius' motorcycle and plans to spend the whole day enjoying each other with no mention of their impending graduation, the upcoming wedding or what they intended to do upon departing Hogwarts for the final time.

After thoroughly tickling Remus into a state of near hysteria, Sirius rolled off his boyfriend, who was now quite liberally covered with grass, dirt and twigs.

"Are you ready to settle down and talk now? Or am I going to have to tickle you some more?" he asked with mock ferocity.

Remus grinned as he attempted to brush himself off and get his clothes back into some semblence of order. He obligingly sat back down against the familiar fallen log and looked inquisitively at Sirius.

"Good. Now what I was **going** to say before you so rudely interrupted with that crack about me thinking was this. We've been dating quite a long time now, longer even than James and Lily. We've talked about getting a flat together in London after we graduate." Sirius looked into Remus' eyes, his face uncharacteristically solemn.

Remus nodded, wondering where this was going.

"The thing is, Remy, you've met my whole family and I've never once met yours. I mean, I've seen your parents at King's Cross, but you've never introduced us. Don't you think it's time I got to know them, especially since I'm practically joined to their son at the hip? Figuratively speaking, of course." He winked at his boyfriend with a smirk.

Remus groaned. He'd known this day was coming, but had been dreading it with a passion. He turned slightly to kick nervously at some branches.

"God, Sirius--I've told you about them plenty of times. Isn't that enough? You don't really want to actually meet them, do you?"

Sirius cupped Remus' chin in his hand, looking deeply into the suddenly morose amber eyes. Of course he'd heard about the Lupins during the course of their years at Hogwarts. There had been a few nights that the other Marauders had actually gotten the reticent werewolf to open up about his home life, usually right before summer holidays.

Remus' family was not exactly what one would consider warm and inviting. The Lupins were a wealthy and proud pure-blood family who were deeply mortified over their son's affliction. While Sirius was fairly certain that they'd never quite been demonstrative or loving parents even before the bite, he knew that Mr and Mrs Lupin had become far more distant once their son had become what they considered to be a monster.

"Yes, Remus, I **do** want to meet them. I love you. I want to get to know the people who brought you into the world, who made you the person that you are. Without them, I....I don't know what I'd do."

He suppressed a shiver at the thought of life without the young man sitting before him. Remus Lupin was his entire world. He'd never imagined that he could love another human being with the intensity that he loved this soft-spoken, beautiful creature.

Remus sighed, looking at the intense young man that he loved more than life itself. They were like two halves of the same whole, soulmates. Growing up under the cloud of his curse, he'd resigned himself to a life of loneliness and solitude, figuring that nobody in their right mind would want to love a monster, a beast reviled by nearly all in the wizarding world.

That was before he met Sirius Black. Fun-loving, charming, brilliant and handsome Sirius who thought all of life was merely an extraordinary adventure to be partaken of with relish. He was headstrong and funny and faced every obstacle with a cheeky grin and a willingness to overcome it at all costs. Whether it was a particularly hard school assignment, a prank directed towards the Slytherins or finding out that one of his best friends was a werewolf, Sirius tackled problems head on.

When Sirius had discovered that his feelings for the fey young werewolf ran deeper than just that of a strong friendship, he proceeded to woo him with the same intensity that he applied to the rest of his life.

Remus had fallen deeply in love with the earnest raven-haired boy. Over the years, their love had grown to become a deep and abiding devotion that coloured every aspect of their lives. Every decision, every hope and every dream included them both and they felt that they were destined to be together forever.

However, Remus had never told his parents about his boyfriend. He wasn't sure if they even knew of his sexual orientation--likely not, since they rarely paid that much attention to him. He only went home during summer holidays, and the Lupin's estate was big enough that he hardly ever saw them, except for mealtimes. Even that, he thought bitterly, was probably more than they cared to see of him.

In addition, he reckoned that if they had even an inkling that he liked boys, they would have raised the roof. Having a monster for a son was bad enough, but a **gay** monster? He could just picture the look on his mother's prim face upon hearing **that** little revelation.

His train of thought was interrupted by Sirius' warm fingers sliding across his cheek.

"Remy? You were a million miles away just now. Did you hear me? I do want to meet your parents, you know." Sirius' soft voice comforted Remus.

"I know you do, Paddy. It's just that.....well, I don't think they're going to approve. Not that I care, mind you!" He'd noticed Sirius' raised eyebrow at that previous remark. "They're not like your family, Siri. They don't like things that aren't absolutely perfect and respectable and in line with their vision of what is 'proper'." He sighed in frustration, not knowing exactly how to put his thoughts into words.

Sirius smirked. "Are you saying that I'm not proper and respectable? Why Mr Moony, I can be just as respectable as anyone, thank you very much."

Remus smiled back at Sirius' affronted dignity. "I'll remind you of that next time McGonagall hauls you in to serve detention for some dreadful prank you've pulled involving Snape's underwear hanging from the castle turrets. And no, I didn't mean that as a challenge!"

Sirius just grinned wickedly.

"I don't know what I mean, really. They're different, Sirius. They are just **so** different from your family." Remus shook his head sadly.

The Blacks were an incredible family. Sirius' parents had accepted Remus with open arms, and lavished love on him as he'd never known from his own parents. They'd taken the shy, lonely boy in and made him part of their family, showering him with praise and acceptance and genuine affection. They'd regaled him with stories of Sirius as a child, shown him pictures of the chubby baby boy who was obviously their pride and joy.

It was no wonder, he'd thought wistfully, that Sirius was such an open and loving person. He'd learned it from his family.

"I know that Remus. I mean, you've told me about them often enough. I'll admit, I've never thought they were that great--anyone who'd treat their kid like that over something he had no control over. It's not like you **wanted** to be bitten by a werewolf just to make their lives miserable or something. But, the thing is, they **are** your family. I'd like to get to know them a little. I plan on being in your life for a very long time, you know. Better let them go ahead and meet their new son!" Sirius grinned broadly. He was secretly hoping to propose to Remus sometime in the next few months.

Remus nodded slowly. "I guess you're right. They may not be pleased, but they're going to have to get used to the idea that you're in my life, from now on. I guess it may as well be sooner as opposed to later."

"Good chap!" Sirius laughed and clapped Remus on the shoulder. "I knew you'd eventually see it my way. The Easter holidays are coming up next week--how about then? We could take my bike out to your house and spend a couple of days with them."

"I suppose. I'll owl Mother this afternoon and let her know that I'll be coming home for the weekend and bringing a guest." Remus smiled up at the very pleased countenance of his boyfriend, but he was secretly dreading the thought of his parents' reaction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Easter holidays arrived far sooner than Remus would have liked. He'd received a curt reply by owl from his mother the day after he'd informed her of his plans. She'd stated that one of the guest rooms would be made up accordingly, but why hadn't he informed them of his plans sooner? Didn't he think that they had any sort of social life beyond sitting around the parlour waiting for him to decide to make an appearance?

Remus had tossed the note in the rubbish bin with a scowl. His mother could always make him feel as though he imposed on them, even though he'd not been home since last summer. At least she and Father were pleased that they'd not have to Apparate to King's Cross station to pick him up from the Hogwarts Express. Doing so would obviously take up too much of their valuable time.

Remus wryly noted that they'd not bothered to ask how exactly he was planning to get to the Lupin estate if not by the Hogwarts train--likely they didn't care how, or even if, he got home.

He sighed as he began carefully packing some robes into his satchel. He made sure to pick out his nicer ones, since Mother was always so critical of everything he wore. He might be a monster, but at least he should be a well-dressed monster.

Sirius had been bouncing all over the seventh year's dorm, trying on this or that outfit in an attempt to decide what would be best to impress the Lupins. As Sirius was a bit of a peacock anyway, this meant that the dorm and every flat surface in it was virtually littered with robes, shirts, pants and everything else that the sable-haired boy owned.

James had finally been forced to put a Full Body-Bind curse on him (to Sirius' extreme displeasure) while he and Peter picked out some clothes and packed them in Sirius' overnight bag. James had grumbled that he'd not been **that** nervous on the night he'd asked Mr Evans for his daughter's hand in marriage.

Remus had removed the curse from Sirius once he figured that James and Peter were far enough from Gryffindor Tower to avoid being hit by a number of hexes from a very irate Sirius. He'd been able to divert his boyfriend's immediate plans for revenge by smothering him in kisses and caresses, which led to several very pleasurable hours behind the curtains of Sirius' bed.

Still, he thought with a grin as he continued packing, Sirius likely had something planned for Prongs and Wormtail once he found them. Once they were both dressed again, he'd darted out of the dorm muttering something about showing 'ole Hornhead a proper full body-bind curse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Classes ended Wednesday of that week so that any students wishing to be home by Good Friday services could take the Express to Platform 9 3/4 on Thursday. All students who had planned to leave were assembled in the Great Hall in order for the carraiges to transport them to the station at Hogsmeade. It was a swirling mass of anxious students, eager to spend a few days holiday away from their classes.

James nudged Sirius as they stood near one of the doors, watching an attentive Remus talking to Lily, who was animatedly describing her bridesmaids' dresses.

"You're taking the Shadow, aren't you? Why are you standing around in this madhouse?" He kept his voice low, since Professor McGonagall was standing not far away, directing students to their proper groups for the departure.

Sirius grinned. "You know that thing's illegal, Jamie. Can't risk getting caught now, can we? Since Remus and I both signed up to leave for the holiday, we need to be here so that we at least **look** like we're going to board the train." He gave Prongs a wink. "Don't worry. I've got her hidden round back of the train station. We'll be gone before anyone notices."

He glanced up just in time to notice Remus, still standing with Lily, looking over at him with a look of pure adoration in his golden eyes. Sirius felt a wave of intense love wash through his body, and wished more than anything that he could whisk Remus off to their bedroom at that instant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True to his word, Sirius managed to get them both away from the crowd flocking to the platform of the station and to where the Shadow was hidden without anyone noticing that they were missing. After magically reducing their bags and stashing them in the back compartment of the bike, they climbed aboard and took flight.

Remus had never been overly fond of flying. He was always in awe of the incredible grace that both Sirius and James exhibited as they flew. His past experiences with brooms had left him wary of that mode of travel, and he longed for the day when he could get his Apparating license.

However, when Sirius had brought his wonderful flying motorcycle to school with him last year, he'd discovered that flying wasn't half bad after all. Well, at least some forms of it.

He was fairly certain that Sirius must have broken dozens of wizarding laws concerning the charming of Muggle items in order to get his bike to fly, but the thrill of being on it more than made up for that.

As he wrapped his arms around Sirius' slender waist and felt the taut muscles bunching beneath his arms, Remus smiled. He well remembered the trepidation with which he'd boarded the Shadow for the first time, nearly suffocating Sirius with his death-like grip.

His fear had quickly left him, though, when Sirius took them high above the Forbidden Forest, and Remus lost himself to the sensation of soaring high above the world. Even the ominous rumbling of the machine beneath them had been music to his ears as he hugged himself tightly to Sirius, burying the side of his face into wind-blown ebony locks and watching the world spread out below them like a glorious patchwork quilt in all shades of vivid greens and browns.

It was a fairly long ride to the Lupin home, but it ended all too quickly for Remus. He could have stayed up there forever, with the wind in his hair and the comforting warmth of Sirius before him. Too soon, he noticed the landscape below them changing as they crossed over into Wales.

Less than a quarter hour later, he saw the outline of the magnificent, but foreboding, Lupin Manor taking shape in the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the Shadow began its dip downward, Remus noticed a slight difference in the sound of the big engine. Although the wolf's heightened senses brought it to his attention, he knew little about Muggle mechanics, and decided it was likely nothing to worry about.

However his stomach lurched as, moments later, the machine took a steep dive, and he clutched Sirius even more tightly.

Remus was well aware that Sirius had not worked out all of the kinks in his charming of the motorcycle, but this had never happened before. He felt Sirius tense before him as he struggled to keep the bike under control.

Luckily, they were close enough to the ground that Sirius was able to land with little problem, although it was far from being his usual graceful landing.

They hit the ground with a tremendous crash, tearing through the immaculate rose gardens on the west side of the manor. Branches, leaves and petals flew as the Shadow bumped and bounced through the manicured hedge of exquisite roses. Thorns tore through their clothes and lashed their arms and faces.

When Sirius finally managed to get the bike stopped, he leaped off, frantically checking to make sure that Remus was alright. The two stunned boys looked at one another, then at the trail of destruction behind them.

"Not one of your more picture-perfect landings, Padfoot," Remus grinned as he stared at his dishevelled boyfriend and dismounted from the bike. He stepped forward to pluck a few rose petals from the wild mane of black hair.

"Sweet Merlin, Remus! Are you okay?" Sirius brushed dirt off Remus' robes, then gasped at the sight of blood welling from the numerous scratches on his arms and cheeks.

"I'm fine, but I can't exactly say the same for the roses." Remus looked at the tangled mess behind them that had once been part of the intricate pattern of the garden. Mother had never prescribed to the idea of the wild beauty of the typical English garden, preferring instead the formal French gardens of her childhood.

The two boys looked at each other, then burst into laughter.

"What the bloody **hell** is going on here?" The angry shout caused both boys to whirl around, where they came face to face with a tall man dressed in earth-caked robes and brandishing a shovel in one hand and a wand in the other.

The angry look dissapated quickly as the old man recognized the smaller boy standing before him. Concern suddenly creased his weathered features.

"Why....Master Remus....what on earth? Boy, are you alright?" The old gardener stepped forward quickly, looking over the pale young man, now covered with dirt, petals and blood but grinning all the same.

"I'm fine, Mr Johnston, really. Can't say the same for the flowers though. Don't worry--we can put it to rights before....."

"Before what, Remus?"

The icy voice behind them caused Remus to pale with dread. He and Sirius turned to face Mrs Lupin, who had Apparated down to the gardens when she noticed the commotion. Her glare caused a shiver down Remus' back.

"Before **what**? Before I notice yet another disastrous mess you have wrought upon this house? Look at those roses--there is no way that you can repair that kind of damage. You've **ruined** them, as you have managed to ruin so many other things in my life."

Sirius stared open-mouthed at the imperious woman standing before them. She was of medium height, with honey-coloured hair the same shade as her son's. Porcelain-pale skin, the same straight nose and high cheekbones as Remus, she was without doubt a very beautiful woman. Or, rather she would have been, had she been smiling.

Her hazel eyes were also similar, although without the golden amber flecks that were the mark of the wolf. Sirius quickly noticed that they also lacked the warmth that radiated from Moony's expressive eyes, the warmth that always filled him with such love and desire.

She slowly cast her cold glare away from her son to take in the equally dishevelled boy standing beside him. Disapproval fairly radiated from her pinched lips and she gave a nearly inaudible sniff.

Sirius cringed inwardly as her withering gaze scanned him from head to toe. He'd meant to change into appropriate wizarding attire before meeting Remus' parents. As it was, his leather jacket was scuffed and ripped from the rose thorns, his white T-shirt smudged with dirt, his jeans torn and stained. Trying in vain to comb back his hair with his fingers, he managed to hold out a hand in greeting.

"Ummm, pleased to meet you, Mrs Lupin. I'm Sirius. Sirius Black."

Mrs Lupin raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the proffered hand which was a bit scratched and bloodied. She disdained to shake his hand, and Sirius pulled it back with a bit of embarrassment, wiping it on his jeans.

"I expect you both to be presentable in time for dinner this evening," she snapped before Disapparating with a slight pop.

Remus turned to look at his boyfriend with a mixture of anger, embarrassment and apology.

"Sirius, I'm....I'm sorry about that...." he started but was shushed by the look in Sirius' blue eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Remy. I'm not exactly the picture of decorum, now am I?" Sirius tossed off one of his lopsided grins and flashed a wink at Remus.

Remus felt slightly better, but still dreaded the thought of dinner with his parents that evening. It was a minor miracle that Mother had not made some scathing remark about the manner of Sirius' dress, let alone about the motorcycle residing amongst her prized flowers. He fully expected to hear all about it at dinner, if not before.

"Well, now. You boys get on up to the manor. I'll get to work on this." Mr Johnston's gravelly voice broke Remus' reverie. His soft Scottish burr had become more pronounced as he looked fondly on the two boys.

"But...." Remus started to protest.

"No buts. I can get this sorted out, don't worry. And, I'll deal with this flying machine here as well. Been a long time since I've seen one of these Muggle contraptions. Aye, been a **long** time." The old gardener rubbed his hands along the clean, sleek lines of the Shadow, causing Sirius to grin at him.

"Are you sure, Mr Johnston? I mean....well, it's all my fault." Remus didn't want the old man to feel obligated to clean up another one of his messes.

The old gardener gazed at the forlorn young man with a sympathetic look. He'd always had a soft spot for the boy, so intelligent and sweet yet despised by his parents.

"Of course I'm sure. Off with you now. Both of you."

The two boys gathered their bags from the Shadow, and started walking up the large expanse of green lawn to the imposing portico of the huge mansion. The closer they got, the bigger the place seemed to grow.

Sirius had known that the Lupins were wealthy, but cor! He let out a low whistle as he shot a sidelong glance at Remus.

"God, Moony! Look at this place! Are you sure you aren't related to the Malfoys or something?"

Remus smiled. "Well, actually, I do believe there might be some connection on my mother's side. But, I'm certainly not claiming them!"


	2. Chapter Two

As the two boys walked up the long flight of marble steps leading to the great carved oak doors, Sirius noted that they were adorned with massive brass doorknockers in the shape of snarling wolves' heads. He turned to grin at Remus.

"I didn't know your parents thought that much of your lycanthropy, Moony."

"They don't. It's for the family name and crest. Lupin, wolf, you know? Just an ironic coincidence that their only son ended up becoming a werewolf." Remus wrinkled his nose at the thought. Mustering his courage, he reached for the heavy doorhandle and pulled it open.

If Sirius had been impressed by the outside of the house, he was astonished with his first glimpse into the Lupin family home.

The foyer was an expansive open area, the floor tiled in an intricate mosaic of expensive materials. Huge chandeliers, each with at least a hundred candles illuminating the spectacular fall of delicately cut crystal, hung from the ceilings which soared upwards like a cathedral. Mirrors and paintings in ornate golden frames lined the walls while Renaissance sculptures, ancient Roman statues and suits of armour were in every nook and corner. A massive curved staircase, flanked by two huge marble urns, dominated the very centre of the room, sweeping up into the shadows of the home, presumably to rooms every bit as sumptuous as this.

Sirius whistled under his breath as he took in the sight. The place was nearly as impressive as Hogwarts. He turned to gape at Remus, who shrugged.

"Be it ever so humble...." he smiled, leading Sirius into the room and closing the door with a deep thud that reverberated through the cavernous room.

"Shite, Remus. You mean, you actually grew up in this place? It's like a bloody museum." Sirius shook his head in amazement.

"Don't remind me. You try being a little kid in a place like this--I was **always** in trouble for knocking something over. Mother and Father were always rather....protective of their collection of art."

Remus was suddenly interrupted by an excited squeal. The boys jumped and turned to see a tiny house elf behind them, practically quivering with glee. The diminutive creature was dressed in an immaculate white tea towel with the Lupin family crest emblazoned upon the center.

"Master Remus, sir! 'Tis so good to see you! Mistress says that you would be coming and bringing a friend." The little elf bowed to Remus and Sirius, then bounced on the balls of its feet.

Remus smiled. "It's good to see you too, Sparkle. This is my friend Sirius, from Hogwarts." Remus glanced over at his boyfriend, love shining in his eyes. The dark-haired boy nearly melted at the look, then managed to compose himself enough to greet the little elf.

"Hey, Sparkle! Are you the one who keeps an eye on this bloke and keeps him out of trouble then?" He winked at Remus, who blushed slightly.

"Oh, Master Remus is a good boy, Sir! No trouble at all! I is to be showing you to your rooms, Master Sirius. If young Sir will follow me?"

Both boys picked up their bags and turned to follow the elf toward the staircase. Sparkle stopped, with a pensive look on his squat little face. "Begging your pardon, Sirs, but Master Remus is wanted by the Mistress in her parlour."

Remus quashed the feeling of nausea that threatened to arise in his stomach. Silently, he turned toward one of the long halls snaking off from the foyer.

"Remy? Do you want me to go with you?" Sirius was troubled by the sudden paleness of Remus' face and the slight tremble of his hand as the smaller boy gripped the handle of his bag.

"No, Sirius. I need to take care of this myself. You go on ahead and get settled. I'll see you soon." He managed a wan smile, then turned and walked slowly down the hall.

Sirius watched his boyfriend disappear down the dark hallway. Shaking his head, he picked up his bag again and followed Sparkle up the immense staircase.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some time later, as Sirius was finishing with his unpacking, he heard a soft knock on the door to his room. Bounding across the lush Aubusson rug, he flung open the heavy door to reveal Remus standing with an amused look on his face.

"So, do you find your quarters adequate, my dear Padfoot?" Remus quirked a grin at Sirius' look of amazement.

"Adequate? Are you kidding? This place is **huge**! Look at it--the damn bedroom is bigger than the Gryffindor common room! And that bed--you could use it for a trampoline!" Sirius grinned lewdly down at Remus. "Or, for other things similarly acrobatic." He wagged an eyebrow at his boyfriend, who gave him a playful shove aside and walked into the room.

Remus sat down on the corner of the expansive bed, taking in the room. Surprisingly, Mother had granted Sirius one of the larger of the guest rooms. His gaze traveled over the dark mahogany of the half tester bed, the exquisite carving on the matching armoire, dresser, chests and chairs, the heavy damask draperies adorning the soaring windows of leaded glass.

Sirius ran over and, with a bounce, landed beside Remus on the bed. He lay back, luxuriating in the heavy silk duvet and mounds of fluffy down-filled pillows, and propped his feet on Remus' lap.

"Sure you don't fancy a quick shag before dinner, love? Be a shame to let this glorious bed go to waste!" He tried to wheedle Remus with his most charming smile and winning tone of voice as he patted the glossy silk sheets.

"As much as that appeals to me, I think not," Remus laughed ruefully. "Dinner is at seven sharp, and we are both expected to be down there not a minute after. Seeing as how we have maybe thirty minutes to get 'presentable', I somehow doubt that we can manage a shag, a shower and dressing in our best robes in that time frame, especially considering our past attempts at what you term a 'quick' shag." Remus held up a warning finger. "And no, combining the shower with a shag won't help!" He grinned at Sirius' crestfallen expression.

"Now, I need to get on to my room and get dressed before you manage to molest me against my better judgement. I suggest you do the same." He dropped a quick kiss on the tip of Sirius' nose and stood to leave. "Have I told you today how much I love you, Sirius Black?"

Sirius' eyes glowed. "Several times, love. But it's always nice to hear it again. I love you too."

With a luminous smile, Remus crossed the room, gave his lover one more adoring look and quietly left Sirius to prepare for dinner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At precisely seven o'clock, the two boys stood outside the imposing doors of the dining room. Sirius had been fetched by Sparkle, and he was immensely glad for the little elf's guidance through the maze of hallways. He doubted that he would have ever found his way to the dining room without help.

"Ready to meet my parents?" Remus murmured as they prepared to enter the room. He nervously straightened his already immaculate dress robes.

"Awww, Moony. You know they're going to love me. How could they not?" Sirius tried to maintain a confident tone, but after his initial introduction to Mrs Lupin that afternoon, he wasn't so certain. He was just thanking his lucky stars that James had packed his finest dress robes, the stark black ones of fine, heavy material. He brushed nonexistent dust from them as he turned to look at Remus beside him.

Drawing a deep breath, both boys entered the room to find Mr and Mrs Lupin already seated at the great table. Mr Lupin stood as they entered the room, gazing intently at his son, then casting an appraising look at his son's guest.

"Father, this is my friend and dorm-mate from Hogwarts, Sirius Black." Remus stepped aside so that Sirius could move forward.

"I'm pleased to meet you, sir." Sirius offered his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, Mr Lupin clasped it with a firm grip.

"It is good to meet you, Mr Black. Remus has spoken highly of you over the years. May I introduce my wife?" He waved toward the elegant woman sitting at the table, who was watching Sirius with a cool gaze and pursed lips.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs Lupin. May I say that you are looking even more lovely this evening." Sirius smiled. He took her outstretched hand to his lips for a quick kiss.

Remus suppressed a smile. Sirius was definitely turning on the charm tonight, although he wondered if even Padfoot's legendary charms would be enough to melt Mother's icy reserve. Not likely, he thought, but it would certainly be amusing to watch.

They all took their seats, Sirius sitting across the table from Remus. He sucked in a slight breath, then glanced up at Remus and tried to catch his eye. At Remus' quizzical look, Sirius pointed imperceptibly at the vast array of ornate silverware adorning each side of his plate. He'd never seen that many utensils for one meal, and was immediately worried that he'd embarrass himself in front of Remus' parents.

Remus gave a faint smile and mouthed 'just watch me'. Sirius relaxed slightly, as a stout woman entered the room carrying the first course. As the plate was settled in front of him, Sirius raised an eye to Remus, who held up the correct utensil. He noticed that Remus' silverware was not silver at all, but pewter.

Suddenly Mr Lupin's voice interrupted Sirius' concentration on the array of forks before him. He gave a slight jump.

"So, Mr Black. Remus has told us very little about your family. I hope that you will forgive my son's shortcomings and enlighten us." He stared pointedly at Sirius, who cleared his throat.

"Well, sir, there's not that much to tell. It's pretty much just me and my parents. I had a younger sister, Astral, but she died several years ago, before she ever got a chance to go to Hogwarts. We live near Godric's Hollow, which is how I came to be friends with James Potter--he's one of our other dorm-mates."

Sirius saw Mr Lupin nodding. The Potters were an old and distinguished pure-blood family, well-known and well-respected in the wizarding world. "We basically grew up together. I'm not sure our mums knew which son was hers, we were always over at one another's houses." Sirius flashed a quick grin, which faded slowly as he noted Mr Lupin's rather stern expression.

"Your parents--I assume they are a proper wizarding family?"

"Sir?" Sirius was confused at to what exactly Mr Lupin was getting at.

"Father, if you are wondering that the Blacks are both a witch and wizard, they are. Not that it matters, you know." Remus sighed, knowing his parents' opinions on families of mixed Muggle and wizard members.

"I don't recall asking your opinion, Remus. And, yes, as a matter of fact, it does matter. It's an absolute travesty the way that proper wizarding folk are allowing Muggles to marry into their families. It's going to be the downfall of us all, you mark my words." He punctuated his statement by waving his fork at both boys.

"The purity of blood is counting for less as each year goes by. Once they started letting Muggle-borns into Hogwarts, it was only a matter of time before they started marrying into pure-blood families." He shook his head indignantly.

"Just because a witch or wizard is Muggle-born, it doesn't mean that they are any less skilled or intelligent. Lily Evans is the only witch born into her family, yet she is one of the top students at Hogwarts, and she's Head Girl this year. On top of that, she is marrying James Potter, with the blessing of his entire family, I might add," Remus responded.

"Be that as it may, it still does not change the fact that the girl is hardly more than a Muggle and will only serve to dilute the purity of one of the oldest wizarding families in Britain. I, for one, am both shocked and appalled that a family as distinguished as the Potters would deign to allow their son to marry such a girl. She will bring nothing but trouble to that marraige. They should have monitered their son's friends more closely than that, if you ask me." Mr Lupin gave a derisive snort as he picked up his wineglass and swirled the deep crimson liquid.

Remus glanced over at Sirius, who was looking more than a bit upset at Mr Lupin's dismissal of one of the sweetest and most intelligent girls they knew.

"Well, Father, James Potter is one of my best friends and yet he doesn't care that I am a werewolf." Remus and Sirius both noticed that the Lupins flinched at that remark. "Am I to assume that his parents should also have warned him against being friends with me? It certainly would be unseemly for such a person to befriend a monster, would it not?"

"I am sure that they would be appalled if they knew of your **condition** , and rightly so. I would certainly not blame them if they insisted on their son being moved to another dormitory. Luckily for you, young Potter seems to know how to keep his mouth shut about such things." Mr Lupin turned to look at Sirius, who seemed to be having trouble holding his tongue. "It has always been somewhat of a shock to us that your three housemates have kept your shameful secret these many years."

"Well, sir," Sirius began, his voice taking on a rather icy edge. "We happen to value Remus' friendship very much, and have worked hard to make certain that his secret is kept safe. We enjoy his company, and I think that I can speak for James and Peter as well when I say that we'd gladly give our lives for him."

"As you well may someday, if the wards and protections that the Headmaster has put into place ever fail. I have never been comfortable with the idea of Remus attending that school." Mr Lupin waved his hand impatiently.

"Well, Father, would you rather that I have stayed here with you and Mother? I suspect that you are more than happy to be rid of me for ten months out of the year. At least you are able to have some kind of normal life with me out of the picture." Remus fought to keep his voice even.

"Normal? Our lives ceased to be normal the night that you disobeyed me and decided to sneak from your rooms and go out looking for fairies in the gardens!" Mrs Lupin's voice rose with each word.

"Because **you** just had to go out and get bitten by a werewolf, didn't you? Did you ever stop to think of how **our** lives were ruined because of your disobedience? We had to move from the city out to this.....this god-forsaken **wilderness** so that nobody would know what kind of monster you had become. We have spent these years in **exile** because of **you**. Don't talk to me about having a normal life. We had a perfectly normal life back in London before you had to go and ruin everything," she snapped bitterly, flinging her linen napkin to the table.

Both boys stared at Mrs Lupin. Remus, his face flushed with embarrassment and anger, silently begged Sirius to keep a grip on his temper. He knew that Sirius was furious at the outburst and at the horrible comments made by his mother, but hoped that his boyfriend would control himself.

Sirius was aghast at Mrs Lupin's outburst. He'd known that Remus' parents had enjoyed a whirlwind social life among London's wizarding community before their son was bitten. Their wealth and prestige had ensured their inclusion in the very top tier of the social circles, and Remus had mentioned that he'd always figured they had resented him for forcing them to move in order to cover up the shameful fact that their son was a monstrous beast. Still, for Remus' own mother to harbour such horrible feelings toward her only son--Sirius couldn't imagine his parents ever feeling that way toward him. He would rather die than know he'd disappointed them so.

Sirius, mulling these thoughts over in his mind, barely heard the question posed to him by Mr Lupin.

"Pardon me, sir?"

"I asked if your meal was satisfactory. You have scarce touched your main course. If it is not to your liking, then I shall send to the kitchens for something more to your taste," Mr Lupin said impatiently.

"No, sir, the food is fine. I just seem to have lost my appetite," Sirius replied, shooting a venomous glance across the table at Mrs Lupin.

The next few courses of the meal passed in a rather tense silence, broken only by the appearance of the stout witch delivering the plates and a few comments of mundane matters. Mr Lupin inquired as to how their last few months of study at Hogwarts were going, and both boys answered that their marks were among the highest in their year. Sirius commented on the beauty of the Lupin home, to which Mrs Lupin replied that their old one in London was much nicer. He noticed that she shot a disdainful look at her son with that remark, but Remus simply ignored it.

By the time the meal ended, Sirius could hardly wait to be released from the table. His heart ached for Remus, as he tried to imagine the soft-spoken, intelligent young man that he knew having to grow up with these people for parents. He knew now why Remus had looked the way he did when they first met on the Hogwarts Express when they were boys. He'd been pale, timid and shy, and more interested in his satchel full of books rather than the two boisterous dark-headed boys sitting with him in the train compartment. He and James had tried to coax the smaller boy into games of Exploding Snap, tried to share various candies with him, all to little avail.

Finally, as the train neared Hogsmeade, he started to open up to them, fortified by several chocolate frogs once Sirius discovered the boy's passion for chocolate. From then on, they were inseparable, and when Peter joined them in the Gryffindor first year's dorms, the little group was complete.

Sirius had watched the shy boy blossom into a beautiful young man over the years, and his friendship had grown into a deep and unconditional love. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Remus Lupin. If it meant that he had to be nice to the Lupins, he would certainly try, but they were not making things easy for him.

"Well, then. I believe that I shall retire to the salon for a brandy. Will you be joining me, boys?" Mr Lupin's conversational tone belied none of the nastiness of the earlier evening.

"No, Father. Thank you, but I think that Sirius and I will be going to our rooms." Remus looked as though he'd rather be anywhere than in a room with his father at that point in time.

"Very well. We will see you at breakfast then. Eight o'clock, Remus. Do not be late." He turned to his wife, holding out his arm. "My dear, shall we?"

Remus and Sirius watched the Lupins silently leave the dining room. The plump witch who'd served the food was clearing the last bits from the vast table, accompanied by a younger witch. Both looked at the boys with sympathetic eyes.

As soon as they heard the Lupins' echoing steps disappear down the hall, Sirius turned to Remus.

"Do you want me to come to your room with you?"

"No, Siri. I've got a terrible headache. I really just want to lie down, okay?" He rubbed his temples with his fingers, drawing a deep breath.

"I didn't mean for a shag or anything, love. I just want to be with you. I can give you a massage, you know, like after the full moon. Maybe it will relax you." Sirius was worried at the paleness of Remus' face and the dark circles of fatigue that shadowed his eyes.

"I know. And I thank you for that. I just need to be alone right now. Sparkle will take you back to the guest wing. I'll see you in the morning." Glancing around to make sure the two witches were nowhere to be seen, he leaned up and gave Sirius a quick kiss. "I love you, Sirius. I'm sorry you had to see that."

Sirius gave him a hug. "I'll see you at breakfast then. Sleep well." He watched the forlorn figure walk slowly from the room, knowing that he wasn't going to sleep well without Remus' warm body tucked in beside him. However, he knew that his lover needed some time alone with his thoughts.

"Good evening, Sir!" The elf's squeaky voice caused Sirius to nearly jump out of his skin. "So sorry to startle you, but I is going to be showing you back to your rooms now."

"Sure, Sparkle. That would be great, thanks." With one more look down the hall in which Remus had disappeared, Sirius turned to follow the little elf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some hours later, Sirius lay on the magnificent bed, staring up at the expensive draperies adorning it. He was still furious over the way the evening had turned out, and thinking about the cruel way that Remus' parents had treated their son only infuriated him even more. It was so unfair, he thought. It wasn't as if Remus had gone out on purpose, knowing a werewolf was lurking in the gardens, just trying to get himself killed or cursed. Evidently his parents were disappointed that the wolf had not killed him outright.

A soft knock on the door broke his train of thought. He leaped from the bed and dashed over, throwing the door open.

"Remus!"

"No, Sir, 'tis only me." Sparkle bowed to Sirius. The little elf could scarcely be seen over the huge silver platter that he was carrying. It was piled high with various pastries, a large silver tea pot and a delicate china cup, saucer and plate.

"Mrs Brown, she is being the cook for Master and Mistress Lupin all of these years, she sends me to bring young Sir some pastries and tea. She says that young Sir might be hungry since his plates came back to the kitchen hardly touched."

Sparkle entered the room and sat the heavy platter on the large marble-topped table near the fireplace.

"Please tell Mrs Brown that I said thanks. It was nothing against her cooking, I can assure you. Just that.....well, nothing. Just tell her that it wasn't her fault, okay?" Sirius sat down in the chair and picked up a large lemon tart, then put it back down. He turned to stare into the fire, crackling in the grate.

"Young Sir should eat something, Sir! Mrs Brown says he will be needing his strength so's that he can take breakfast with the family in the morning." The little elf offered a grin at Sirius, who looked taken aback at the elf's comment. It was not common, he knew, for house elves to make any sort of derogatory comment about their masters.

Sparkle bustled over, poured a cup of tea and handed it to Sirius. "She likes you, young Sir. She says friend of young Master Remus must be a fine person. Sparkle agrees, Sir."

"Thanks, Sparkle." Sirius accepted the cup of tea and took a sip. "I'm worried about him. He had a rough evening, and now he's not feeling well. I wish I could go to him." He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.

"I can show young Sir the way to Master Remus' rooms. I can take you to him, and nobody would ever know."

"Wha...what did you say?"

"Sparkle can show the way to young Master's rooms, Sir. There is all kinds of secret passages in the manor house. That is the way the house elves go to where they are needed."

"Why would you show me these passages? I doubt Mr and Mrs Lupin would really care for me to be exploring the secret tunnels of their house--they don't seem very fond of me, you know," Sirius said, wondering what was going on.

"Why?" squeaked the elf. "Why, 'tis obvious, Sir. You is in love with Mr Lupin and he is needing you!"

"In love! How could you tell? Are we that obvious?" croaked Sirius. He was worried that the Lupins would know their secret before Remus could tell them. Judging from their reaction to Muggle and wizard marraiges, he felt fairly certain that they would be even less accepting of same-sex relationships.

"Only to those who is paying attention, Sir! Master and Mistress, they don't see, don't care about young Master. Sparkle won't tell young Sir's secret, no, not at all. Sparkle only wants to see young Master happy, and he is happiest with **you** , Sir."

Sirius grinned at the elf. He wanted to hug the little creature. "Then what are we waiting for?"

The elf smiled back, and trotted over to a large mirror. Pushing it aside, he tapped the wall and suddenly an opening appeared. Motioning Sirius to join him, he peered inside and then back again at Sirius.

"'Tis going to be a tight fit for young Sir. The passage is meant for house elves, not for humans."

"That's okay, Sparkle. I'd crawl on my hands and knees from one end of this place to the other just to be with him." He flashed a quick smile as he ducked into the tiny dark passageway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus stood by the window, looking out on to the expansive lawns and gardens of Lupin Manor, glowing in the bright moonlight. Nearly a week until the full moon, but still enough light to illuminate the grounds. He gazed upon the manicured perfection, wondering at the beauty which was only a veneer for the bitterness and hatred that lay beneath.

Choking back a sob, he turned to his bed. He'd not been lying to Sirius about his headache--he'd had one after dinner, but it was long gone now. He wished that he'd not turned Sirius away, that he'd taken him up on his offer to come back here to his rooms.

However, it was probably better this way. There was no real way of getting Sirius up here without having to pass any number of rooms in which Mother or Father might be. It just wasn't worth the risk, especially since he knew how they'd react if they thought that his relationship with Sirius was anything more than merely that of friend and dorm-mate.

He slowly turned back the heavy comforters and sheets of his bed, dreading the thought of being in it alone. He'd slept in the same bed with Sirius for so long now, it was hard for him to fall asleep without that comforting warmth beside him. Even when Sirius was being a bed hog, lying stretched out with arms and legs flung in all directions. Remus smiled, thinking of all of the times he'd awoken to find himself perched precariously on the very edge of the bed while his beautiful black-haired lover lay sprawled like some Greek god down from Mount Olympus.

Sighing, he climbed into the bed and was about to pull the covers up when he heard a noise from behind one of the paintings on the east wall.

Just as he was about to grab for his wand, the painting was pushed aside (to the annoyance of his Great-Uncle Jacques who loudly protested being disturbed from his nap) and out tumbled Sirius.

"Sirius! What on earth?" Remus jumped from the bed and ran to his boyfriend, who was covered with cobwebs and dust. "Where did....how did you....?"

"Sparkle showed me the passageways the house elves use. Don't tell me that you grew up in this house and never explored all of these great tunnels running behind the walls. Wait....on second thought, don't tell me. Of course you didn't. That was before Jamie and I corrupted you! Oooofff!"

Sirius was cut off by a sudden armful of overjoyed werewolf, who smothered him in kisses.

"God, Sirius, I'm so glad to see you. I was wishing that you were here with me. I'm sorry about earlier, I just needed time to think..."

"Shhhh, love. Don't talk about that now. I just want to get you into bed. Looks like yours is just as big as the one in my room, so I think we ought to try out some of those acrobatic exercises I was hoping for earlier this evening." With that, Sirius swept Remus into his arms for a passionate kiss. Never breaking contact, the two boys backed up until they reached the bed, then Remus flung them both into the middle of it.

"You, dear Padfoot, are in for more acrobatics than you can possibly stand in one evening," Remus gasped, as he began quickly divesting Sirius of every item of his dusty clothes.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Moony. I can stand for a lot, especially of your brand of acrobatics." Sirius breathlessly pulled Remus' t-shirt off and tossed it aside, attacking his neck with desperate nips and kisses while at the same time trying to rid him of his boxers.

Things quickly heated up until the room was filled with the sounds of passion. Moans and gasps quickly gave way to the sound of two voices shouting their completion in unison. For long moments afterward, all that could be heard was the sound of panting breaths and whispered declarations of love.

However, it did not take long for the two boys to regain their energy and quickly resume their activities.

"Mon Dieu, not again! How is an old man expected to sleep with you two causing all of that racket?" Great-Uncle Jacques' voice could not be heard above the sounds emanating from the bed. In disgust, the old gentleman stomped from his frame and left to find a more peaceful place to spend the night.

His departure went entirely unnoticed by Remus and Sirius, whose entire world had shrunk to encompass only them and the joyful consummation of their love for one another.

Many hours later, the happy but sated lovers fell asleep in one another's arms.


	3. Chapter Three

Warm sunlight bathing his face caused Sirius to emerge from the deep cocoon of sleep. With a contented sigh, he rolled over and spooned up behind Remus. Rising up on his elbow, he gazed down at the sleeping form of his lover. The silken sheets had slipped down, exposing his sinuous body to Sirius' appreciative eye. The morning sun, streaming through the leaded glass windows, cast rainbows of light around him and the sun made his hair shine more golden than ever. His face was one of deep contentment, showing no evidence of the tension and worry he'd been experiencing since their arrival at the mansion.

He watched Remus sleep for a few moments, wishing that he could stay there forever and gaze upon that perfect beauty. However, the Ice Queen had commanded them to be down for breakfast at eight, and he wanted to avoid any more confrontations with Remus' parents. By the looks of the sun brightening the room, they needed to hurry.

Sirius bent down and pressed a kiss to the rosy lips, smiling as he felt Remus stir beneath him. He deepened the kiss a bit and soon the smaller boy's arms reached around him, drawing him closer, as he kissed Sirius back.

"Morning, sleepy head," Sirius whispered as he ran his hand through Remus' tousled hair. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmmm, I always sleep well when you're beside me, love. Even if you **are** a bed hog," he smiled, sleepy eyes smiling with good humour.

Sirius grinned. "Well, you **could** have had the bed all to yourself. I could have stayed in my own room, in that big, cold, lonely bed....."

"Don't you dare! I don't need that much room anyway. And, come to think of it, the smaller the bed, the closer we have to snuggle and well, you know how pleasant **that** can be, Padfoot." Remus leaned over and began kissing his boyfriend's shoulder and caressing his back.

"Mmmm, that feels fantastic, Moony. But, it's getting late and we probably need to get washed up and downstairs to breakfast." Sirius groaned as the tawny head dipped lower and started gently biting his nipple.

"Why not just have breakfast in bed? You look pretty delicious, lying here like this. I could just eat you up right now," purred Remus as he began stroking Sirius' rapidly growing erection.

"Ummmm, Remus? I don't think we have time. Not if we're going to be down there on time and I sure as hell don't want your mum coming up here looking for us." Sirius squirmed, hating the fact that he needed to get away from that talented hand lest they miss breakfast all together. Damn! Why couldn't they have woken up sooner?

"Well, I'll just have to write this incident down as one for the history books! Sirius Black refusing sex. That has **got** to be a first!" Remus giggled as he leaped from the bed, narrowly avoiding his boyfriend's pillow which was aimed directly at his head. Heading toward the bath, he playfully posed for Sirius in the streaming sunlight, the light illuminating his nude form so that he looked like an angel and which caused Sirius to nearly rethink his decision.

"Yeah, well, don't think it's going to happen again, you wretched little tease. Get in there and get cleaned up before I lose what little self-control I **do** have and ravish you right here and now. I've got to go back to my room anyway and get my clothes. Can't have the Ice Queen seeing me in last night's clothes--she might get the wrong impression," Sirius laughed as he tumbled out of bed and started pulling on his dusty jeans.

"Or worse yet, she might get the **right** impression and come after both of us with a severing charm. Then neither one of us will be having sex again!" Remus called from the bath, having to shout over the running water.

"Perish the thought!" Sirius laughed as he shoved Great-Uncle Jacques' frame to the side, noticing that the old gentleman had not returned to his frame. "See you down at breakfast. Love you!"

"Love you, too, Paddy," came Remus' voice, muffled by his face cloth.

Grinning, Sirius ducked into the tunnel and pulled the portrait shut behind him. Thank Merlin for Sparkle, he thought as he headed back to the guest wing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty minutes later, Remus sighed as he stood outside the door of the dining room. After last night's dinner, he wasn't sure that he could handle another meal with his parents. ~Oh well, better to get it over with. At least Sirius will be down soon.~ he thought.

He straightened the neck of his robes and pushed open the door. The dining room looked quite different than it had last night. As it was located on the east side of the manor, the heavy draperies were tied back to let in the glorious morning sun. It caused the crystals of the chandeliers to dazzle with all of the colours of the rainbow and sent prisms of light flashing from the numerous goblets on the table. His parents were already sitting in their places, Father reading the Daily Prophet and Mother with her cup of tea.

Remus walked slowly in, and took his seat. "Good morning Mother, Father. I trust that you slept well?" He helped himself to a scone and began pouring a cup of tea.

His father folded the paper and sat it beside his plate, gazing at him with a keen look. Mrs Lupin sat her cup down with a sharp click.

"A most interesting situation has come to my attention, Remus," she began, her voice laced with a deadly calm.

"Oh, Mother? And what, pray tell, might that be?" Remus was in no mood for any of her little games, but felt he might as well go along with her. He began adding a bit of cream to his tea.

"I sent Lucinda to check on our houseguest this morning, to see if he might need anything. Do you know what she found?"

"No, Mother." He was starting to get a little nervous under the piercing scrutiny of those cold eyes, and propped his spoon on the saucer, afraid his hands might start shaking.

"An empty bed, Remus. A bed that had not been slept in, nor even turned back. Do you have any idea where your Mr Black might have been, since he was obviously not in the guest room?"

"Perhaps Sirius had already gotten up. Is it not possible that he made up his bed and was already washing up? Or, he might have been out on the balcony, enjoying a bit of fresh air. The view from that room is exquisite, you know." Remus hoped that his voice was not shaking as badly as his insides were. He was afraid that it would betray his nervousness; his parents had always been able to see through any lie.

"Somehow, I think not. Mr Black does not seem to be the type to be an early riser, not does he strike me as being the kind to enjoy viewing the mountains at daybreak. No, I have my own theories on where he may have been." Mrs Lupin's voice had gone even more quiet as her anger grew.

"And just what might that be, Mother?"

"I think that he might have been skulking about the house after we all retired for the evening. I saw him looking at my silverware at dinner last night. It's entirely possible that he was prowling about, looking for things to pilfer. I would certainly not put it past him." She sniffed indignantly.

"Oh, Mother, for God's sake. Why on earth would Sirius want to steal anything from us? He's my best friend! His parents aren't as wealthy as you and Father, but they certainly aren't starving. That's the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard!" Remus tried to keep his voice controlled, but these accusations toward Sirius were beyond ludicrous.

"Is it? Look at him, Remus! Why just look at the state of his hair, his robes! And that piece of flying Muggle rubbish on which you two arrived! The little miscreant obviously comes from bad stock. He was probably sitting here all through dinner last night, calculating what he could get away with. I would not be surprised if his parents put him up to it, when they learned where he was going to be for the holidays!"

"Oh, Mother, do shut up!" Remus snapped. "Sirius Black is one of the most honest people I know, and wouldn't steal from **anyone** , least of all **me**! For God's sake, get off your high horse and realize that the universe does not revolve around you, Father and your blasted Gringott's account."

"How **dare** you speak to me like that, you impertinent brat!" she snarled, tossing her napkin to the table and rising from her chair.

"No, Mother, how dare **you** speak about **Sirius** like that! You and Father have done **nothing** but insult him and dismiss him since we arrived. Oh, you make a big show of acting all gracious, but your act doesn't fool anyone. The way that you look at him, the way you speak to him--you act as though he is beneath you in every sense of the word." Remus was furious. He'd put up with his parents' abuse his entire life, but enough was enough. They were not going to get away with accusing and insulting the man he loved.

"Remus! That's enough! Do **not** speak to your mother in that tone of voice, not in this house." Mr Lupin's voice was one of cold fury, as he shoved his chair back from the table.

"I **will** speak to her in that tone of voice, because she deserves it. I am sick and tired of you two acting like this. I will not stand for it anymore." Remus pushed his chair back and stood, facing his parents.

"Do you want to know where Sirius was last night? **Do** you?" His voice grew louder and more clear with each word. "He was in my room. Yes, Mother, he spent the whole night in **my** room. He was not 'skulking' about, as you so eloquently put it, he was in **my** room, in **my** bed."

Remus had never imagined that two people could look more stunned as he watched the effect of his words settle. His mother's already pale complexion went ghostly white and she clutched her chest as she stepped back and sank into her chair. His father stood, gaping, his mouth opening and closing like a fish that had been taken from the water and tossed upon the bank. Remus had never seen the man at such a loss for words.

His mother recovered her composure first. "What did you mean, he was in your **bed**?" While she was still deathly pale, her voice had taken on a steely edge.

"Exactly what I said. Sirius was in my bed, as he has been for the past couple of years. He is my boyfriend, Mother. My **lover**. And, he is the man that I intend to spend the rest of my life with." Remus looked from one to the other, searching for any kind of acknowledgement to his statement.

"What the **hell** are you talking about, boy? Are you telling us that you are....that you two...." his father sputtered in his rage.

"What, Father? That I'm **gay**? That I am attracted to men? Is that what you are asking me? Because if so, then that is exactly what I'm talking about. Not that either of you have ever bothered to ask me about such things. You've never cared about my happiness, have you? Well, I have found happiness and it's with Sirius Black."

"You will not continue seeing that boy. You will **not**! I always knew that you would never have a normal life--what self-respecting witch from any kind of proper family would want an **abomination** like you for a husband--but by God you will **not** disgrace this family further by living like some.....some kind of **pervert**!" Mrs Lupin's voice had gone shrill as she lost control.

"The only perverts in this family are the two who have treated their son like some kind of pariah his entire life, who have witheld their love for something he had no control over whatsoever."

All three Lupins spun around at the sound of the furious but surprisingly calm voice coming from the entrance to the dining room. Sirius Black was standing there, blue eyes flashing with a cold rage. His gaze traveled from one to the other, as he fought to maintain control. Fists clenched and knuckles white, he stalked into the room.

"I should feel pity for you. Pity that you never allowed yourself to know the love that Remus has inside him. All he ever wanted was your love and acceptance, but you never could give that, could you? All you could feel for him was resentment and hatred because he ruined your perfect life." He stepped up beside Remus and put his arm around the smaller boy's waist.

"I should feel pity, but I can't. I can't feel anything for you but hatred for what you've done to him. I tried to be civil to you, to get along with you for Remus' sake. Hell, **I** was the one who wanted to meet you. He didn't want to bring me here, but I talked him into it. Now I can see why. If I had parents like you, I wouldn't want my friends to meet them either. You're nothing but cold, selfish bastards, the both of you." He looked down at Remus, running his hand across the pale cheek.

"Love, I don't know you became such a wonderful, loving and incredible person with people like them for parents. I just thank all the gods that you came into my life and I plan to show you all of the love that you missed growing up here." He pressed a soft kiss to Remus' forehead.

"Thank you, Sirius." Remus looked up into the blue eyes that he loved so much and smiled. Wrapping his arm around Sirius' waist, he turned back to face his shocked parents who were still gaping at the two boys.

"Mother, Father, I don't ask much of you. I never have. But I do want you to accept this relationship. I love Sirius and he loves me. We have felt this way about each other for several years now and plan to spend the rest of our lives together. We will do so regardless of your opinions, but I do hope that you can find it in your hearts to give us your blessing." Remus knew it was a long shot, but he still hoped that his parents might relent.

The identical looks of outrage and disbelief told him that he was very wrong.

Mr Lupin slammed his fist down on the table with such a fury that the expensive china and crystal bounced alarmingly and several pitchers filled with various juices teetered precariously. The vein in his temple throbbed and his face was blotched with livid red spots, so great was his wrath.

"If you walk out of this house to a life of that.... that **unnaturalness** , then you do so secure in the knowledge that you are **never** to return here again!"

Remus stared. He'd never seen his father in such a rage. The man looked close to having a seizure. He looked over to his mother, desperately seeking some kind--any kind--of support, but her eyes were cold and her mouth set in a rigid line.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you, boy! Do you understand me? You will be cut off! If you are willing to give up this for that....that scruffy, Muggle-loving deviant, then you go right ahead. But you will **never** darken the threshold of this home again, is that clear?" Mr Lupin's voice thundered throughout the room, nearly rattling the chandeliers.

"Then so be it. Goodbye Father, Mother." Remus took Sirius' hand in his, and they turned to leave.

"Damn you, boy. Damn you to hell!" Mr Lupin snarled as his son turned his back on him for the last time.

They reached the door of the dining room when a goblet hit the wall next to Remus and shattered. The shards of glass tinkled as they hit the polished wood of the floor and scattered like thousands of tiny diamonds, sparkling in the morning sunlight.

Remus and Sirius never looked back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus stalked across the lawn, but inwardly he was trembling violently. He couldn't believe what he'd just done.

A soft touch to his shoulder brought him back. Sirius' low voice, quavering slightly, caused him to turn to look at his lover.

"Remus, are you sure about this? I mean, look at all of this. Can you really give it all up--your family, your home, everything?"

Remus looked into the blue eyes searching his own. When he spoke, it was with a conviction that he'd never felt so strongly in his life.

"Everything that is important to me--that has **ever** been important to me--is back at Hogwarts. My friends, my books, my education. And you, Sirius. You are the most important thing in my life. You **are** my life." He waved a hand at the expansive estate. "This has never meant anything but pain and rejection for me, and I'm glad to give it up. My life, my future, is with you."

With that, he pulled Sirius into a fierce embrace that left the raven-haired boy breathless with its passion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The Shadow was waiting for them, cleaned and polished from her encounter with the rose garden. Remus thanked Mr Johnston for that, then shook his hand. The old man watched as they stowed their bags in the Shadow's compartment, then mounted the bike. He'd already heard about the row in the dining room that morning--Sparkle had popped into the garden shed moments earlier to tell him all about it.

As the Shadow rumbled to life, Remus turned back to take one more look at the life that he was leaving behind. Waving at the old gardener, he sighed and tucked his head against Sirius' shoulder as they left the ground.

As sad as he was to see the young man he'd loved like a grandson all of these years go, he was glad for it. Remus needed to be away from this environment--he deserved happiness. He'd never deserved the treatment he'd received from his parents. Seeing the boy shining with love for his dark-haired companion made the old man happy, as he knew that whatever Remus faced, he wouldn't be facing it alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~fin~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
